Most Educated Cities in 2016

From education level, the rates of employment and poverty as well as the quality of schools and beyond, there are myriad important factors to consider determining the most educated cities in America. Seeking to capture these factors, we considered 17 data points from three sources and interviewed two experts. Below you will find our results, as well as a detailed methodology explaining how we arrived at them.

200 Most Educated Cities in America

Here is how every city captured in our study ranks in the four categories of data that best helped us evaluate.{#fives}

Overall

MSA

Attainment

Education and Poverty

School Quality

Education and Employment

1

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

4

34

4

115

2

Boulder, CO

1

111

16

38

3

San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA

7

87

4

100

4

Fort Collins, CO

5

62

36

66

5

Ann Arbor, MI

2

146

3

149

6

Austin-Round Rock, TX

16

77

22

40

7

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA

15

57

20

98

8

Charlottesville, VA

19

112

13

93

9

Raleigh, NC

8

28

47

48

10

Rochester, MN

24

3

47

2

11

Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA

21

128

4

127

12

Cedar Rapids, IA

52

4

19

5

13

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

3

9

83

16

14

Olympia-Tumwater, WA

38

86

2

158

15

San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA

48

80

1

177

16

Santa Rosa, CA

48

105

4

122

17

San Diego-Carlsbad, CA

31

160

4

174

18

Tallahassee, FL

29

194

9

119

19

Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY

22

24

74

21

20

Pittsburgh, PA

62

41

17

58

21

Gainesville, FL

13

198

22

157

22

Colorado Springs, CO

22

75

41

176

23

Sioux Falls, SD

39

8

77

1

24

Portland-South Portland, ME

25

69

79

14

25

Appleton, WI

75

2

44

3

26

Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI

77

39

22

50

27

Provo-Orem, UT

17

97

69

143

28

Urban Honolulu, HI

40

31

59

138

29

Huntsville, AL

36

48

60

136

30

Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC

87

25

13

145

31

Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, FL

65

91

22

139

32

Lexington-Fayette, KY

42

134

54

62

33

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA

34

148

47

128

34

Wilmington, NC

35

164

47

132

35

Barnstable Town, MA

12

43

105

101

36

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA

33

124

74

92

37

Charleston-North Charleston, SC

54

131

43

126

38

Lincoln, NE

20

38

117

6

39

North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, FL

85

108

9

163

40

Richmond, VA

64

30

71

54

41

Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL

98

78

9

168

42

Roanoke, VA

118

60

13

59

43

Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL

83

169

22

110

44

Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA

75

170

20

170

45

Madison, WI

6

26

154

7

46

Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL

88

189

22

107

47

Anchorage, AK

77

7

83

95

48

Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA

45

33

117

10

49

Asheville, NC

63

176

47

151

50

Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL

94

125

22

187

51

Bremerton-Silverdale, WA

55

42

86

192

52

Rochester, NY

31

51

135

53

53

Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA

60

159

63

164

54

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

80

54

88

35

55

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH

10

40

157

26

56

Kansas City, MO-KS

53

37

128

27

57

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL

107

161

22

148

58

York-Hanover, PA

163

1

17

25

59

Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN

81

45

101

46

60

Amarillo, TX

153

59

22

24

61

Binghamton, NY

91

116

74

89

62

Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA

60

15

119

108

63

Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC

65

96

106

77

64

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD

37

23

154

32

65

Boise City, ID

85

145

79

113

66

Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL

134

137

9

186

67

Tucson, AZ

83

188

58

171

68

Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA

27

18

177

4

69

Salt Lake City, UT

70

55

128

39

70

Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC

119

76

56

109

71

Eugene, OR

106

197

38

184

72

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA

41

140

136

111

73

Peoria, IL

105

22

100

60

74

Green Bay, WI

108

21

104

12

75

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX

109

83

88

68

76

Kennewick-Richland, WA

116

36

86

90

77

Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI

13

16

192

8

78

Jacksonville, FL

93

115

88

153

79

Springfield, IL

57

56

149

23

80

Durham-Chapel Hill, NC

11

181

159

116

81

Albuquerque, NM

88

195

78

154

82

Port St. Lucie, FL

139

150

22

179

83

Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA

71

90

119

114

84

Columbia, SC

72

114

112

123

85

Knoxville, TN

127

82

62

117

86

Lansing-East Lansing, MI

43

141

146

134

87

Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO

18

50

185

31

88

Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL

97

95

88

189

89

Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO

143

74

57

73

90

Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA

96

11

141

19

91

Reno, NV

113

142

82

125

92

Lancaster, PA

157

5

83

9

93

Norwich-New London, CT

68

10

157

63

94

Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC

141

166

37

180

95

Prescott, AZ

132

184

39

195

96

Trenton, NJ

26

27

185

97

97

Syracuse, NY

45

72

163

71

98

Fort Wayne, IN

119

58

106

33

99

Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV

179

18

44

84

100

Lubbock, TX

137

120

88

15

101

Manchester-Nashua, NH

28

6

194

13

102

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

77

178

119

124

103

Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY

50

98

163

70

104

Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD

55

49

172

61

105

San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX

131

100

88

112

106

Duluth, MN-WI

101

151

106

103

107

Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT

9

20

198

78

108

Kalamazoo-Portage, MI

68

167

146

121

109

Worcester, MA-CT

45

32

190

20

110

Springfield, MO

144

161

69

96

111

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ

116

12

141

41

112

Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ

94

147

114

141

113

Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, IN

81

53

159

37

114

Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT

30

14

198

17

115

St. Louis, MO-IL

65

63

174

57

116

Oklahoma City, OK

114

93

126

75

117

Medford, OR

146

192

47

191

118

Ogden-Clearfield, UT

73

17

174

82

119

New Orleans-Metairie, LA

145

185

71

105

120

Greensboro-High Point, NC

119

135

106

104

121

El Paso, TX

176

196

22

167

122

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI

44

109

183

79

123

Columbus, OH

58

66

185

30

124

Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA

185

103

42

146

125

Tulsa, OK

125

84

126

74

126

Jackson, MS

101

179

130

106

127

Akron, OH

103

64

150

51

128

Savannah, GA

98

156

136

130

129

New Haven-Milford, CT

58

46

190

44

130

Clarksville, TN-KY

168

143

46

197

131

Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX

193

153

22

169

132

Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS

164

168

55

165

133

Charleston, WV

174

61

81

94

134

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC

181

123

47

137

135

Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN

88

52

167

47

136

McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX

197

199

22

102

137

Ocala, FL

188

182

22

196

138

Lafayette, LA

189

101

71

29

139

Waco, TX

167

132

88

56

140

Greeley, CO

123

29

150

45

141

Mobile, AL

172

152

60

161

142

Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI

51

70

196

22

143

Canton-Massillon, OH

171

80

101

69

144

Vallejo-Fairfield, CA

130

89

119

185

145

Montgomery, AL

129

136

115

162

146

Lynchburg, VA

149

68

131

52

147

Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL

153

186

88

194

148

Corpus Christi, TX

187

102

88

81

149

Erie, PA

134

130

141

76

150

Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA

177

175

63

182

151

Dayton, OH

110

118

150

133

152

Baton Rouge, LA

147

121

131

64

153

Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL

111

71

177

28

154

Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ

200

187

39

199

155

Longview, TX

190

88

88

118

156

Fayetteville, NC

139

180

106

200

157

Modesto, CA

192

155

63

173

158

Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Hazleton, PA

151

92

141

86

159

Tuscaloosa, AL

150

133

115

147

160

Spartanburg, SC

156

129

112

131

161

Salem, OR

157

144

106

178

162

Visalia-Porterville, CA

198

191

63

129

163

Utica-Rome, NY

122

79

163

72

164

Bakersfield, CA

195

172

63

188

165

Toledo, OH

128

173

150

83

166

Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL

186

158

88

160

167

Salinas, CA

157

106

119

172

168

Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA

182

122

101

142

169

Evansville, IN-KY

151

35

159

34

170

Topeka, KS

133

65

174

18

171

Springfield, MA

74

110

198

42

172

Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN

125

73

179

55

173

Cleveland-Elyria, OH

104

113

185

65

174

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI

98

138

180

156

175

Merced, CA

199

193

63

183

176

Birmingham-Hoover, AL

115

119

163

152

177

Providence-Warwick, RI-MA

91

44

197

36

178

Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR

123

94

182

80

179

Winston-Salem, NC

136

126

159

99

180

Brownsville-Harlingen, TX

196

200

88

140

181

Reading, PA

166

13

172

11

182

Killeen-Temple, TX

161

85

146

198

183

Shreveport-Bossier City, LA

174

164

131

120

184

Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV

169

149

140

144

185

Wichita, KS

111

67

195

43

186

Salisbury, MD-DE

162

47

154

135

187

Memphis, TN-MS-AR

141

139

167

88

188

Columbus, GA-AL

165

154

136

193

189

Stockton-Lodi, CA

180

174

119

175

190

Fresno, CA

178

190

119

166

191

Chattanooga, TN-GA

157

99

167

85

192

Yakima, WA

194

107

145

87

193

Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH

184

171

139

159

194

Fort Smith, AR-OK

191

163

134

150

195

South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI

137

127

192

49

196

Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC

147

157

170

181

197

Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ

155

117

185

91

198

Rockford, IL

170

104

183

67

199

Macon, GA

182

177

170

155

200

Flint, MI

173

183

180

190

Top (and Bottom) Five Cities for…

No two cities were created equal. With this fact in mind, let's break down and explain how we ranked them in four key categories:

Attainment: Thepercentage of 25-and-older population to reach a specific level of education (i.e. high school, college and beyond).

Education and Poverty: The percentage of 25-and-older population whose poverty status is determined by a specific level of education.

School Quality:The ratings of primary and secondary schools as well as universities, according to two survey-based sources.

Education and Employment:Thepercentage of 25-and-older population who are employed, according to their specific level of education.

To rank America's cityies by attainment, we considered seven different levels of education (see methodology below). We narrowed our focus to calculate the percentage of each city's population to have earned a degree of some kind, whether it be an associate's, bachelor's or graduate degree. This was also the basis of our Most Educated Cities in 2015 study. In Boulder, Col., for example, 63.8% of the population holds a degree of some kind, while the same figure in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., sits at 19.9%.

For more depth, we returned to the U.S. Census Bureau's vast database of education-related data. To determine whether a university education was lifting the average student-turned-professional above the poverty line, we considered this category. For example, 2.4% of bachelor's degree-holders in York, Pa., are in poverty, compared with 7.8% in Brownsville, Texas.

It's one thing for a city's residents to have earned a degree. It's a whole other if the education they received on their way to that degree was of high quality or not. To account for this, we considered two data sources (methodology below) that rate and rank schools based on surveys.

After measuring a city's education level, poverty rate and quality of schools, there was only one more key statistic that we wanted to consider: whether these educated graduates in these supposedly educated cities were able to turn their studies into professions. This last category, also built on data from the U.S. Census Bureau, gave us a percentage of employment for each level of education (high school diploma, associate's degree, etc.). In Sioux Falls, S.D., for example, 90% of bachelor's degree-holders also hold jobs, versus a 68% mark in Fayetteville, N.C.

Methodology

To determine the most educated cities in 2016, we sought out recent data from reputable sources. We ended our search with 17 data points from three such sources to help us evaluate America's 200 most populous cities. Below, we break down each statistic and point to its origin. In parenthesis is the category's weighting, which determined each city's overall rank, and those marked with an asterisk are state-based (not city-based).

Attainment-- percentage of25-and-older population to reach a specific level of education (1.5 weighting)

Education Experts Weigh in

To expand upon our coverage of the most educated cities in America, we put the data aside
and reached out to two experts for answers to four questions. Here is what they had to say.

Dr. Chester Goad is a current administrator at Tennessee Technological University as well as a former primary and secondary school principal and teacher, congressional staffer and author.

1. What are the most important factors we should consider when determining which cities are most educated?

It's important for anyone researching education level to factor in skills and technical-based certificates and associate's degrees along with typical four-year undergraduate, graduate and advanced degrees. Simply bean-counting numbers of individuals who hold degrees is not enough. You have to look at the degrees that people are earning, and how they may impact the overall job market, industry and culture of the communities in which they're located. When companies or employers are looking to relocate, they want to know that there's going to be enough people with the appropriate skills necessary to sustain and drive the company in profits and overall success. So they're going to be asking questions about the types of professionals or skilled workers local educational organizations are churning out, making sure that it's a good match. In Tennessee, policy-makers have instituted targeted efforts to ensure that more people are getting a variety of degree types in order to make our state more appealing to prospective companies. It's a supply-and-demand issue really. Employers need certain types of workers depending on their industry, and states want to meet that demand.

2. How is a city affected positively/negatively by the amount of degree-holders it has among its residents?

It's important for cities to take a targeted approach on increasing the types of degrees and education people hold. Some locations can get saturated with certain types of degrees or skills. Often people will move where the jobs are. Industry works similarly: Companies will relocate where the workers are who are qualified to do the work they need. It's no longer as simple as deciding to go somewhere just because the population is saturated with degrees. It's the types of degrees. Many cities have a few industries they're trying to attract. It takes having a workforce that is educated in those particular skills to entice companies to bring jobs. The city workforce has to be able to support and sustain the mission of the business or industry and every city is different.

3. If it's beneficial for them, how should cities aim to attract highly-educated people?

Some cities as well as private industries are offering incentives to people seeking certain types of degrees, that can sometimes be in the form of tuition-assistance for continued education or professional development, or job-placement agencies offering relocation assistance. Cities have always had to work to attract companies and industries, but now they're having to work more competitively to attract people who are already highly educated or highly skilled. The best scenario though is ensuring that local communities are raising up a skilled, educated workforce and giving them more incentive to stick around, and then marketing the existing workforce to prospective companies or industry.

4. How can the country as a whole improve the education level of its citizens?

More incentives for states and local communities to set their own targeted degree and skill-attainment goals, support in reaching educational benchmarks, nurturing and maintaining excellence in education. For example, my own state's Drive to 55 initiative is already showing increases in degree attainment. The initiative sets a goal of equipping 55% of Tennesseans with some form of higher education, whether that's from a technical college, two-year college, or four-year undergraduate university. One of the ways our state is accomplishing this is through what the state calls, Tennessee Promise. Tennessee Promise provides all students who qualify with free community college or technical college for their first two years of higher education, and it provides mentors for every student. As an educator, one thing I really love is that this endeavor hasn't left adults out of the equation. There are incentives for adults to go back and earn college credits as well. It's a lofty but attainable goal, and I respect my state for taking on that kind of endeavor. Like many of our private citizens, I'm of course wishing the program much success. What makes it unique is the approach is not simply an educational goal but a full Tennessee workforce and development goal.

Not every approach is going to be best for every state, but the important thing is for states and communities to realize that education, workforce and economic programs should all work in tandem to attract and maintain successful employment for citizens. I also believe that states and communities should not let the potential of individuals with disabilities slip off the radar either, given the right circumstances and the right opportunities, individuals with disabilities can be a strong addition to the workforce. Considering that the unemployment rate for individuals with disabilities is much higher than non-disabled workers, education and work programs or incentives for the disabled demographic is also great way to lower the unemployment rate.

4. How can the country as a whole improve the education level of its citizens?

Better preparing educators to teach students. The vast majority of college and university faculty have never received formal instruction in how to teach students. For example, a professor of biology often has a terminal degree in biology but little if any training in teaching biology. So you have greater content experts with incredible knowledge, but often that knowledge is not properly conveyed to students. Thus, credential college faculty, or ongoing professional development is needed.

Second, we need mandatory preschool for all children. Too often, children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds -- often low income, students of color -- do not have access to preschool or high quality preschools. Thus, these children are then at a disadvantage in early grades, a pattern that only increases over time.

Third, we need to make college more affordable. Partly, the skyrocketing cost of college is due to states withdrawing their financial support; an extreme case of this is evident in Louisiana. As a result, public colleges and universities have sought to maintain fiscal viability by raising tuition, forcing on-campus living, and moving academic programs to the for-profit arms of the college. This has served to negatively affect students by making education to extensive and reducing the quality of education provided.

1. What are the most important factors we should consider when determining which cities are most educated?

Consider how competitive it is to get into private schools, especially kindergarten. The word on the street will tell you that this level of competition is a strong indicator of education in cities.

2. How is a city affected positively/negatively by the amount of degree-holders it has among its residents?

Cities are positively affected by having more degree-holders, as it adds more to the workforce in terms of higher-level positions, which then lead to higher paying jobs, which then leads to better economic status of that particular city.

3. If it's beneficial for them, how should cities aim to attract highly-educated people?

Strong marketing from top universities in that city: When colleges are ranked highly in the area -- or they are pushing for improving their education opportunities -- more people flock to those cities. Also, major company hubs always attract high-level education.

4. How can the country as a whole improve the education level of its citizens?

This one is a big question: I would say honestly -- to improve the college readiness programs at schools. I launched College Shortcuts because I realized that so many students have no idea what they want to do, and they don't know which colleges to go to. This loss of information is causing parents thousands of dollars when their child switches majors, doesn't find their passion, et cetera. It starts in high school.

1. What are the most important factors we should consider when determining which cities are most educated?

I would say besides the obvious metrics, such as high school graduation rates as well as people over the age of 25 with an associates degree or higher, that other things should be used to determine the most educated cities. If you buy into the theory that the average college graduate earns more money over the course of a lifetime than those without a college degree, then you could also use average professional salary as a metric. I think one of the best indicators would be the cities' unemployment rate. Unemployment rate is generally a good indicator of whether a skill gap exists between what employers are hiring for versus existing skills that the work force possesses in that city. In a city that is more educated, you wouldn't have a high unemployment rate as the workforce would pursue education of some sort to start filling those jobs. A city that is unable to fill those jobs is less educated and less willing to provide or pursue education to fill those skills.

2. How is a city affected positively/negatively by the amount of degree-holders it has among its residents?

A city is impacted positively in many areas such as a larger tax base, lower unemployment and a large talent base for employers to hire from that make the city more attractive when deciding where to be located. It can also be negatively affecting for those that don't have a college degree. If you live in a city with a large amount of degree-holders, it can make it tougher to get a job due to the minimum requirements of an average job being much higher. Employers would be able to require a degree as a minimum requirement, and there would be increased and tougher competition for entry-level and more professional jobs for those without a degree.

3. If it's beneficial for them, how should cities aim to attract highly-educated people?

It's kind of a chicken-and-egg-type of a problem. The best way to attract highly-educated people would be to first attract employers that highly educated people would like to work for during their career. An easy example of how this would work would be to put a Google campus in the middle of a random city in the United States. No matter what city that was, the city they put the campus in would automatically fill up with highly educated people once it was announced that Google was moving a campus to that particular city. However, employers want to know if there is an existing talent pool before they choose a particular city. As a city, you need to ensure that you have enough career training and post-secondary education to make the case to large corporations that you can support their hiring needs in the future.

4. How can the country as a whole improve the education level of its
citizens?

I think the biggest shift in education in the history of our country will take place over the next 25 years. The single thing we can do to improve the education level of our citizens is to focus more on outcome-based education. Rather than sending tens of thousands of students through a process that may or may not train them for a particular occupation, why not structure education directly to preparing them for a career. We hear a lot of stories from friends or friends kids that with the cost of college, they won't be able to afford it. Since when did college because the only form of education for citizens? Why can't they pick a career and go to a school or receive training to start a particular career? They don't need to take four years and take out hundreds of thousands of dollars out in loans anymore. I think it's time we reverted back to the apprentice style of education and learning, which is hands-on learning a skill that will turn directly into a job upon mastery.

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